


Saving Josh

by XProSkeith



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Fix-It, Gen, Implied Chris/Ashley, Implied Sam/Josh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-23
Updated: 2015-09-23
Packaged: 2018-04-23 02:23:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4859489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XProSkeith/pseuds/XProSkeith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An alternate ending/fix-it fic where Chris and some of the others go back to save Josh and turn him back into a human.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Saving Josh

A week had passed since they'd escaped the nightmare of that night on the mountain. Even though everyone survived, Chris still had nightmares every night. The things he'd seen. The things he'd been through. Watching his best friend get ripped in half, though it hadn't been real, had had a profound effect on him. In the end, Chris still couldn't save Josh. They'd left him behind. He'd been taken by a wendigo.

But something ate at Chris as he sat up at night again, unable to sleep from the nightmares. The wendigo hadn't killed him. Either time it had taken him. It kept him alive. Mike had mentioned a butterfly tattoo. What if that wendigo had been Hannah? What if Josh was still alive? Chris just couldn't shake that feeling.

Chris couldn't sleep anyway, so he sighed and went to his computer and started to research. He read everything he could find on wendigos and the supernatural. He found a Native American ritual for purifying spirits from a possessed person. From what he could tell, it could work on those whom the wendigo spirit had taken as well. It gave him hope.

Unfortunately, the ritual required time. Wendigos typically didn't just sit still and wait for you. But Chris didn't give up. There had to be a solution, so he kept searching. In time, he came across a piece of information from Celtic lore, specifically the druids. It was about mountain ash. Druids used it for protection against spirits and the supernatural. In theory, it could be used to contain a supernatural spirit or creature. This was the solution Chris needed. He wasted no time ordering and gathering the supplies he needed for the ritual and to contain the wendigo.

Chris arranged for everyone to meet him at his place once he had everything. They all came and they all looked worried. They had all been through a lot, but they also knew Chris had taken it especially hard. And Ashley had told them how withdrawn he'd been lately. With what happened with Josh, they were rightfully worried.

"Is everything okay, Chris?" asked Ashley. "We're all here for you."

"Yeah, man," added Mike. "We've been worried about you."

"I'm fine," assured Chris, waving his hand dismissively. "I asked you guys to come because I have a plan I want to run by you."

"What is it?" asked Sam.

"These past few weeks, I've been thinking," began Chris. "And researching."

"Researching what?" asked Emily.

"Wendigos and the supernatural," answered Chris.

Everyone else shared an uneasy look. Chris wasn't surprised.

"I don't think Josh is dead," continued Chris. "I think the wendigo kept him alive and there's a good chance he's either on his way to becoming a wendigo or he already is one."

"That's crazy," laughed Emily. "There's no way."

"I know it's hard, man, but I watched him get dragged off," said Mike. "He's gone."

"Chris..." said Ashley softly as she took his hand.

"I can't shake the feeling that he's still alive," said Chris. "And if he is, I can't just leave him."

"After the hell he put us through? Hell no," said Jess.

"I'm not saying you have to go with me," sighed Chris. "I'll go by myself if I have to. I found a way to undo the wendigo transformation. I've got to try."

"Then let's hear your plan," said Sam.

"You can't be serious," scoffed Emily.

"I'm going to hear him out and the rest of your should do the same," Sam fired back. "You owe Chris and Josh both that much."

Emily shot her gaze at the floor at Sam's word. Sam nodded at Chris to continue. He explained his plan, the ritual, and the mountain ash. When he was done, there were mixed reactions. Matt, Jessica, and Emily thought Chris was crazy and wanted no part of it. Mike seemed to agree more or less.

"Chris, I know he was your best friend, but-" started Mike.

"No! You don't get it, Mike!" snapped Chris. "None of you were as close to him as I was. And I failed him. I didn't realize how bad things were for him. That's on me. I should have known. Yeah, he what he did to us was messed up, but he was also really messed up. And you know what else? That's on all of you. On all of us. Because we indirectly got his sisters killed. Like it or not, that's what happened. And it really messed Josh up. That's on us."

Everyone went silent once Chris had finished. His words still hung in the air, their sting lasting. But they couldn't deny that he was right. Chris sighed.

"Look," said Chris, his voice much quieter and softer. "I told you none of you have to go with me. But I am going. I have to try."

"Then you'll need this," said Mike, pulling the lift key from his pocket. "I've kept it on me since that night. I was there when he was taken and couldn't stop it. I'm in."

"Me, too," said Sam. "I believe you and I want to help Josh. He was close to me, too."

"Of course I'll come with you," said Ashley as she squeezed Chris' hand. "I won't let you do this alone."

"I think you're all crazy," said Emily.

"For once, she and I agree," said Jess.

"I'm sorry, Chris," said Matt. "I gotta go with Emily."

"It's fine," said Chris. "I understand. Go."

Matt nodded and left with the two girls. The others gathered everything they needed and set off for the mountain lodge once more.

It had only been three weeks since that terrifying night and they all felt their fear bubbling back to the surface. Even so, they all resolved to do this. They quietly climbed into the lift car and began the ride to the mountain lodge.

Once they had arrived, they made their way down into the mines. Chris found a good area to set up the ritual while Sam and Ashley helped. As the sun set and night set in, Mike kept watch. When they were done, they started searching for Josh.

As they made their way through the mines, they found trails of blood and eventually two half eaten bodies. They looked like they may have been search and rescue, likely sent to investigate the mines. As the continued, they heard a noise. It sounded all too familiar.

When they rounded the corner, they saw something. They shined their flashlights at it.

"Josh?" asked Sam.

The figure before them turned to face them. It was definitely Josh and he was still wearing his psycho costume from that night, although it was much dirtier and tattered now. Rows of sharp teeth glistened in the light of their flashlights. Half of Josh' face was twisted and gray. He was becoming a wendigo. He growled menacingly at them.

"Run!" shouted Chris. "Now!"

They took off running back the way they came, back to where they had prepared the ritual. Josh chased them with inhuman speed, but he still wasn't as fast or as mobile as the fully turned wendigos. They were able to stay ahead of him, but only just.

As they reached the ritual room, the others ran to their positions while Chris kept running straight. Josh pursued him. When Chris got to the edge of his ritual set up, he stopped and spun around. In one fluid motion, he pulled a bottle of mountain ash from his pocket and emptied it on the ground. It fused with the rest of the mountain ash that Chris had laid before, forming a perfect ring.

Josh continued to run at Chris. When he reached the edge of the circle, Josh slammed into an invisible barrier that briefly emitted a blue light at the point of contact. The barrier was in place and working. Sam, Ashley, and Mike lit their candles surrounding the circle as Chris lit his. Josh roared and continued to throw himself at the barrier to no avail.

Chris began the ritual. He had already ground the plants he needed, so he poured them into the ritual bowl before igniting them. They were oddly aromatic. Chris began to recite the words for the ritual from the papers he had printed out. He did his best to ensure his pronunciations were accurate. From the translations of the ritual he had read, basically the ritual called on the Great Spirit to drive out the evil spirit. Chris had to believe it would work.

As he recited the words, the smoke from the bowl began to move and billow as if it had a mind of its own. The flames of the candles began to increase in size and dance on their own as well. The smoke made its way to Josh. It wound its way around him like a snake. As Chris approached the end of the ritual, the smoke forced itself into Josh's mouth and nose, pouring into him.

Josh let out garbled noises, but Chris didn't let it distract him. He had to keep going. As he read the last word of the ritual, a wind blew threw the mine as the flames from the candles erupted nearly reaching the top of the mine. Josh lifted into the air as the last of the smoke entered him. A moment later, an ear shattering screech resounded throughout the mines and a flaming orange spirit in the shape of a skull burst from Josh's mouth. It flew at Chris, but dissipated before hitting him. When the spirit fanished, all of the candles went out and Josh dropped to the ground with a thud.

Chris scrambled as quickly as he could to Josh, the others joining him. Chris shined his flashlight on Josh. The fangs were gone and his face was normal once again. The ritual had worked. Josh was free of the wendigo spirit. Everyone shared a brief sigh of relief and a smile at their success before Mike helped put the unconscious Josh on Chris' back. They left the mines as quickly as they could.

Josh remained unconscious all the way back down the mountain. He was breathing and his pulse was steady, so they knew he was alive, but they were still worried. When they reached Chris' car, Mike drove with Ashley in the front. Christ and Sam sat in the back with Josh, holding him and making sure he was okay. The ride back to Chris' place was silent.

When they returned, Chris carried Josh to his couch where he gently laid him down. He'd been like this for hours now. He hadn't budged at all on the way out of the mines, down the mountain, or the ride back. Chris was starting to worry and he could tell Sam and the others were, too. As if in response to their worries, Josh's eyes fluttered and he let out a groan. All four of them jumped in surprise and excitement.

"He's waking up!" exclaimed Sam.

"Ugh. What the hell happened?" asked Josh as he sat up, rubbing his head.

"We just saved your fucked up ass, that's what happened," said Mike.

"Mike," warned Chris. "Not the time."

"Last thing I remember was feeling hungry. So so hungry," said Josh. "I think I ate... a body..."

Josh said those words as if he was disgusted by them, the memory physically nauseating him.

"It's alright, Josh," cooed Sam. "You're safe now."

"I feel so weird. Like I just came out of a black abyss or something," said Josh, laughing slightly at what he said. "Man that just sounds weird."

"You were turning into a wendigo," explained Chris. "We went back and saved you."

"You... Came back for me?" asked Chris, sitting up to look at them. He looked genuinely surprised.

"Of course we came back for you!" said Chris. "You're my best friend! I wasn't going to just abandon you."

"Even after everything I did?" asked Josh quietly.

"Look, man, you weren't in your right mind," said Mike. "We know what you were going through and how bad things had gotten."

"Mike's right," agreed Sam. "You're our friend and we want to help you. We're here for you."

"I...  I..." stammered Josh, unsure of what to say or how to react or how to process everything going on inside his head. "Did everyone make it?"

"Yeah," answered Ashley. "Everyone made it out. We were all fine except for some bumps, bruises, and scratches."

"That's good. That's good," murmured Josh. "I never meant to hurt anyone. Just scare you."

"Well you sure as hell accomplished that," said Mike.

"I still can't believe you guys came back for me," said Josh.

Before Josh knew what was happening, Chris had pulled him into a tight hug.

"You really are an idiot, you know that?" said Chris. "I already told you I'd always come back for you."

"Yeah, going back was all Chris' idea," said Mike. "He's the one who convinced us to go. He was ready to go back there alone if he had to. Just so he could try and save you."

"He also went back to try and save you at the shed when the wendigos attacked," added Ashley. "He refused to just leave you even though we were certain you'd already been taken."

"You've really got quite a friend there," said Sam. "He'd do anything for you, to make sure you're okay. Now that's what I call a best friend."

Josh wasn't quite sure when he'd started crying. He wasn't sobbing, but there were definitely tears. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried. Maybe after he first found out about his sisters? Regardless, it had been a long time. He really had taken his friends for granted and pushed them away, especially Chris. He wasn't sure if the ritual they had done to save him had helped clear his head some or if he was just having a breakthrough, but he could see that now. He didn't deserve friends like this. Not after what he did. Nevertheless, he was glad he had them.

"I'm so sorry," said Josh. "I'm so sorry, man. For everything. I-"

"Shh," said Chris. "We know. And it's alright. I'm just glad you're safe. I'm glad I have my best friend back."

"We're going to get you the help you need, alright, Josh?" said Sam. "And we're going to be with you every step of the way."

"Promise?" asked Josh. "You promise you won't leave me alone?"

"You were never alone, Josh," said Chris. "But yeah. That's a promise.

"We're with you, man," said Mike. "We'll help you through this."

"Thanks, guys," said Josh, wiping his tears as he and Chris finally separated.

"You'll make it through this, Josh," said Sam. "I know you will."

Josh nodded at her appreciatively. The others had to go, but Chris said he would watch over Josh tonight. It wouldn't be a problem for Josh to crash with him. Once the others left, Chris broke out some video games and they played for a while. Later, they broke out Star Wars and they watched it until they fell asleep leaning on each other on the couch just like they used to before all this happened. At least for a brief time, they both forgot their troubles and fears and depression. The best friends were back together again. They both slept soundly in a deep, dreamless sleep.

 


End file.
